Acceleration Presentation

For an overview of acceleration, view the Acceleration Presentation presented by Dr. Shirley Curl, Gifted Education Advisor.

A Nation Deceived highlights disparities between the research on acceleration and the educational beliefs and practices that often run contrary to the research. Coming in Spring 2015 A Nation Empowered: A Ten-Year Follow-up to the important Nation Deceived Report.

Below you may view the presentation, Myths, Misconceptions, and Frequently Asked Questions about Academic Acceleration presented by Guest Speaker Dr. Mary Ann Swiatek.

Despite strong empirical support, academic acceleration is a controversial educational intervention that creates anxiety among parents, teachers, and administrators. Often, the anxiety stems from uncertainty about appropriate implementation and concerns about the outcomes of acceleration. To address these issues, Dr. Swiatek discussed the following topics at our meeting on Wednesday, February 13, 2013:

  • Available forms of acceleration
  • Research findings regarding acceleration outcomes, in both the academic and psychosocial domains
  • The usefulness of above-level testing in deciding about acceleration
  • Important issues, other than test scores, to consider in acceleration decisions